horrific

adjective

hor·​rif·​ic hȯ-ˈri-fik 

hä-

: having the power to horrify

a horrific account of the tragedy

horrifically

hȯ-ˈri-fi-k(ə-)lē 

hä-

adverb

Synonyms of horrific

• gruesome
• shocking
• horrible
• terrible
• nightmare
• horrifying
• frightening

Examples of horrific in a Sentence

horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously

Recent Examples on the Web

Then alcohol became the leading cause of violence in Ittoqqortoormiit, and violence and horrific accidents became the leading causes of death. —Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Granier witnesses things both beautiful and horrific, experiences both a sense of peace and endures a great tragedy. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025

Yet despite horrific incident after horrific incident, AI companies retain carte blanche to sell products with zero meaningful safety standards or oversight. —Michael Kleinman, Time, 22 Nov. 2025

The brutal death of Sean Astin’s Bob, as witnessed by Winona Ryder’s screaming Joyce, is genuinely horrific, after which our heroes get to grips with their nemesis and communicate with Will via Morse code. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French horrifique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin horrificus "inspiring awe or dread, frightening," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver" + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for horrific

• pacific
• prolific
• salvific
• specific
• terrific
• calorific
• conspecific
• hieroglyphic
• honorific
• nonspecific
• scientific
• soporific